Related article from Renewable Energy News
New Orleans is going green as it continues rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina — with a big assist from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Sprouting in once-flooded neighborhoods are some new energy-efficient homes featuring rooftop solar panels, extensive insulation and more efficient climate systems. These standards will be applied citywide in schools and hospitals, too.
Many of the improvements are based on renewable energy programs and strategies provided by DOE and the laboratory.
Nor are the energy-saving improvements limited to hurricane reconstruction. Even before Katrina, many of the city’s commercial buildings and dwellings were blighted. Entire neighborhoods were built decades ago without insulation and are subject to termite infestations.
The lab’s commitment to demonstration projects and community partnerships has encouraged city officials to embrace renewable energy.
Now the motto “Cleaner … Smarter” is stenciled on the city’s new buses that run on a 5 percent biodiesel blend, and New Orleans has been selected as one of DOE’s Solar America Cities.
“New Orleans has an amazingly vibrant local culture,” says senior project leader Phil Voss, who returned to Golden in January after 18 months in New Orleans. He is the lab’s first energy expert to be embedded in a field project.
“And until now, that same culture has not been open to many outside ideas – like energy efficiency.”